Rumor: Fan Favorite Spider-Man Villain Returning In Marvel's What If...? Season 3

15.01.2024 - 19:07 / gamerant.com / Peter Parker / Jake Gyllenhaal / Dan Conlin

One Spider-Man villain who hasn't been seen in a few years may be about to make a flashy re-entrance with What If...? season 3. Nobody's ever truly gone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is sure to make life insurance complicated. But it also allows for some surprise returns like (potentially) this, much to the delight of fans.

What If...? has already traversed the realms of possibility with its first 2 seasons. But if things go as rumors suggest, then no previous entry in the franchise is exempt from having its depths scraped for some returning content. Callbacks are nothing new in the MCU, with entries like the hilarious and comic book-accurate She-Hulk: Attorney at Law making full use of the idea. So, one particular rumored returning Spider-Man villain may not be a surprise, but he'll certainly be welcome.

Prominent industry scooper CanWeGetSomeToast has flexed the snooping powers behind their eternal question of a username yet again to potentially leak the returning star in question. They posted on their Instagram's subscription page (via Reddit) that none other than Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio, would appear in the upcomingWhat If...? season 3 after his previous (and presumed final) appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Whether or not Jake Gyllenhaal will return to reprise his role in the film has yet to be confirmed. But then again, the rumor itself isn't verified either, so that feels on-brand.

Fans were quick to speculate on what a Mysterio return could look like in such a series. One introduced the idea that his episode could cover what would happen if Peter Parker/Spider-Man never discovered Beck's plan to fake his way into being a superhero. Gyllenhaal's acting performance as Mysterio may have become a meta part of the role, as it might force Beck to continue his charade comedically so that Peter remains unaware.

«If true, it could be fun having a What If exploring what if Peter never found out Beck's plan. I feel like there could be some dark comedy w/ Beck doing whatever it takes to keep the ruse going, especially if he realizes how out of his league he is against a true Avengers-level threat.»

Regardless of how Beck might be implemented in What If...? season 3, fans would likely enjoy the outcome. The hypothetical series examining the various alternate realities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe captured the attention of fans pretty effectively, offering bite-sized stories that are largely standalone. So those weary of having to study up on previous films and shows every time a new one comes out likely appreciated the more casual nature of this project. Many fans even wondered if Star Wars would get its own What If...? series.

Again, this is only a rumor that has yet to be verified.